Familys Love

A family's love is stronger than all others- I'm glad my family is awesome!

Food For Thought

Thursday Food For Thought: Life has its challenges – your food shouldn’t be one of them. Check the ingredients on the labels and if you can’t spell it, can’t pronounce it, or your Grandmother didn’t eat it, put it right back on the shelf. Those preservatives, food colorings, and all those other chemicals sure don’t contribute to a healthier you. Work on always being well!

Recipe For Happiness

Recipe for happiness: Live with enthusiasm, smile for no reason, love without conditions, act with purpose, listen with your heart, and laugh often.

Getting Older

You know your getting older when you see your mother in you and you see your grandmother in your mother,now look at your daughter you see yourself in her.

Mary Poppins

Wishing I could be like Mary Poppins, sing "A Spoonful of Sugar," snap my fingers & things around the house would magically pick themselves up. Tried it, darn!

Mother Was Right

...A little inspiration for the day...words for women to live by..By the time a woman realizes her mother was right, she has a daughter who thinks she's wrong.

Cinnamon Buns

"I don't really think I need buns of steel. I'd be happy with buns of cinnamon." -Ellen de Generes

Hurry Up and Wait Bars

You will love this oh so simply recipe.

Lemon Bars

1 lemon cake mix
3 eggs
1 can instant lemon pie filling

Mix dry cake mix,eggs and pie filling together. Spread into a greased jelly roll or sheet cake pan.

Bake 20 to 25 mins at 350' degree oven

Apply favorite vanilla frosting or sprinkle with powder sugar.

This recipe can be changed with a yellow cake mix and apple pie filling, or Chocolate cake mix and cherry pie filling

Domestic Violence

While you SCREAM at your woman, there's a
man wishing he could whisper softly in her ear... While you HUMILIATE,
OFFEND and INSULT her, there's a man flirting with her and reminding her
how wonderful she is. While you HURT your woman, there's a man wishing
he could make love to her. While you make your women CRY there's a man
stealing smiles from her... PLEASE RE Post this if you're against
Domestic Violence

Sausage Casserole

By: WILLIAM ROSSBACH
"Mouth watering, bowl scraping good! This recipe also makes a great dinner entree!"

Prep Time:
25 Min
Cook Time:
1 Hr 15 Min
Ready In:
1 Hr 45 Min
Servings
Original Recipe Yield 12 servings

Ingredients
1 pound sage flavored breakfast sausage
3 cups shredded potatoes, drained and pressed
1/4 cup butter, melted
12 ounces mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup onion, shredded
1 (16 ounce) container small curd cottage cheese
6 jumbo eggs

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch square baking dish.
2.Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
3.In the prepared baking dish, stir together the shredded potatoes and butter. Line the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the mixture. In a bowl, mix the sausage, Cheddar cheese, onion, cottage cheese, and eggs. Pour over the potato mixture.
4.Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into center of the casserole comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Go Sugar Cookie Crazy

Try these tips for cutting, decorating and packing for the mail, and delight everyone with beautiful cookies.

Rolling and Cutting
Cookie dough is much easier to work with after it's been refrigerated for at least half an hour--and the cut-outs will hold their shape better if the dough is cold.

•Keep cookie cutters from sticking to the dough by misting them very lightly with cooking spray.
•If you're cutting out delicate or large shapes, roll out the dough on parchment paper, lifting off the scraps; slide the paper directly onto a baking sheet.

Frosting

One popular frosting for sugar cookies is a simple glaze of confectioners' sugar and either milk or fruit juice. By adjusting the ratio of liquid to sugar, you can make this glaze as thick or as thin as you'd like.

•Royal icing is another option: it dries to a hard, crunchy finish and also holds up well in the mail.
•Buttercream frosting is soft and thick; tasty, but not good if you plan to stack the cookies.
•Instead of frosting, you can also dip half or all of a cookie in chocolate and then in chopped nuts or crushed candy canes

Springtime

Many of you know I have gone through several surgeries and reconstruction over the past 2 years for breast cancer. I am gratefull to say all is good. As the Lord rose again during Easter this have been my risen to a new life with health and gaining strength each day.

I want to thank my followers and friends for the many prayers and cards and calls you have done. It has meant the most to me. You are the best of the best.

Blessings,

Marcia

Now back to writing and getting some great stuff out to each of you.

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup lard
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1.Cream butter, lard and sugar. Add eggs and beat. Mix sour cream and baking soda together and add to egg mixture. Add flour and salt and mix well.
2.Chill dough until firm enough to roll.
3.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
4.Roll out dough and cut with cookie cutter. It's wise to keep dough in refrigerator between rolling out batches. Bake for 5 - 7 minutes.

Strawberries

In pancakes at breakfast, as preserves on bread at lunch, sliced over a salad for dinner and atop shortcake for dessert, the strawberry works overtime!

Very Romantic
The somewhat heart-shaped strawberry is a member of the rose family and a beautiful partner with champagne. No wonder it’s a Valentine’s Day favorite.

Bigger Isn’t Better
The biggest berries aren’t always the best tasting. At the market, look for brightly colored strawberries that are smaller but still plump; their flavor will be more concentrated and delicious.

To Your Health
Bonus! These berries aren’t just delicious. Like other bright-colored fruits and vegetables, strawberries are rich in nutrients. They’re a great source of vitamin C.

Candy Gems for Valentines

Valentine Candy Gems
Any extract, such as orange or almond, can be used in place of cinnamon. Present to your Valentine in a handmade jewelry box.

Ingredients
Makes 3 dozen

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon extract (kingarthurflour.com)
Gel-paste food coloring, such as Tulip Red, Orange, or Soft Pink (sugarcraft.com)

Directions
Bring 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, and 2 tablespoons corn syrup to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
Heat until syrup registers 300 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon extract and 1 or 2 drops food coloring using a rubber spatula.
(Mixture will steam and bubble when liquid is added, so be careful.) Transfer mixture to a liquid measuring cup, and let the bubbles settle slightly, about 15 seconds.
Slowly pour mixture into gem candy molds (fancyflou
rs.com) just below the top. Let cool until candies harden, about 30 minutes. Remove candies from molds.
Repeat with remaining 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, 2 tablespoons corn syrup, 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon extract, and 1 or 2 drops food coloring (same color as first batch).

Let second batch cool slightly, about 3 minutes. Top with first batch of hardened candies, flat sides together, matching sizes and shapes. Let harden and cool completely before removing from molds.

Helpful Hint
Candies can be made and stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Grannies Kitchen For Valentines

Cookie of The Day Lemon Cheesecake Squares

Lemon Cheesecake Squares

Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 3 hours

Ingredients
Makes 16

FOR THE CRUST:
8 graham crackers (each 2 1/2 by 5 inches)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:
2 bars (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (2 to 3 teaspoons zest and about 3 tablespoons juice)

Directions

Make the crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. Crimp overhang under rim of pan.

In a food processor, blend graham crackers with sugar until finely ground; add butter and pulse until moistened.

Transfer crumb mixture to prepared pan, and pat in gently (wipe processor bowl clean, and reserve for making filling). Bake until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. While crust is baking, make filling.

Make the filling:
Place cream cheese in food processor; blend until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice; blend until smooth.

Pour mixture onto hot crust in pan; smooth top. Return to oven, and bake until set (filling should jiggle only slightly when pan is gently shaken), 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool completely in pan. Cover very loosely with plastic wrap; chill until firm, at least 2 hours (and up to 2 days). Use foil overhang to lift cheesecake out of pan. With metal spatula, lift cheesecake from foil; cut into 16 squares.